Beverly RiverwoodSend a message to

Beverly Riverwood

Beverly Riverwood

All the good things that Judy and Paul have expressed about Dave are part of my memories of him also. I have always felt he was special and larger than life in his personal ethics, his capacity to care for others and his devotion to education. In the early 90's while struggling through law school, I was fortunate to be hired by and to work for Dave, who was Director of Sales at the time in a little office in San Rafael. He was wearing a lot of hats, but had the gift of kind attention to whomever he was talking with at the time. What a mind! What a voice! As time passed, we had many conversations about reading and how our dedication to the teaching of reading had developed. (We were both graduates of Miami University in Ohio, where the McGuffy Readers were developed). Dave told an inspiring story about his own childhood while he was training our "class" to begin work. I have never forgotten it. He was having some trouble with reading and it was his beloved third grade teacher who helped him conquer this obstacle. He said he would go early to school and wait for the door to open. I'm so grateful that through that teacher's kindness the door opened for him, because then he turned around and opened that reading door for so many thousands of others. We have all been blessed by his fairness. This was more than a good man; he was a role model, a mentor extraordinare, and a warrior for learning. He saved lives with his total dedication to this curriculum and school. Our friendship did not always run smooth. One Spring we had a big misunderstanding. I had a cold, and Dave inquired why my numbers were down. I said I felt I had been affected by taking a prescription medicine and felt way off. Dave interpreted my behavior to be a result of "drugs" in the forbidden sense, and he laid me off right then. I was horrified and we traded some pretty angry letters. I could not believe the betrayal I felt. Still, I could not stay away from reading, so after a few years, I decided to apply and see what he would say. I fully expected to be rejected, but sailed through the hiring process until one day, just at the training was starting, I saw the door open and Dave stepped in, surveyed the room and just as quickly stepped out. I was sure he had seen me, and I would soon be fired by the CEO himself before even having a chance to return. A woman came into the room and asked if were Beverly, and I thought "here it comes." Dave came back into the room, came to my place, picked up my hands, looked me squarely in the eyes, smiled that great smile, and said "Welcome back to IRD." Then he leaned forward and quietly apologized, saying he had made a mistake, was sorry, and was delighted to welcome me back. He was indeed a wise man who could examine his behavior and do the honorable thing. I was happy to tell him later that it was because of him and IRD that I returned to SSU, got my Reading Specialist Credential and returned to teaching. Each Spring for the last 8 or 9 years, I have returned to IRD excited about the goals and values of our company under Dave's creative, innovative and inspired leadership. I have felt that somehow I was still working for him because he never wavered from his own very high standards for character and accountability. He's right up there with my own Dad, my thesis advisor, Gordon Wilson, and my friend Chris Caswell, for whom I worked seven years before his own recent death at age 60. Though my best and most respected mentors are gone now, I feel extremely grateful to have known and learned from these three of the best men ever. Thanks for giving us a space to share these memories. I send my deepest condolences to his family and colleagues. We have all lost a rare spirit who did immeasurable good for children and for the world.

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